Vertical guard and supplemental protecting means



June 24, 1941. .7 R. E. PADDOCK 2,246,752

VERTICAL GUARD AND SUPPLEMENTAL PROTECTING MEANS Filed March 16, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 RNVENTOR ATTORNEY Jun 24, 1941. R.E.PADDOCK -2,246,752

VERTICAL GUARD AND SUPPLEMENTAL PROTECTING MEANS Filed March 16, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented June 24, 1941 VERTECAL GUARD AND SUPPLEMENTAL PROTECTING MEANS Raymond E. Paddock, Lynn, Mass., assignor to American Chain & Cable Company, llnc., a corporation of New York Application March 16, 1940, Serial No. 32 1.265

6 Claims.

This invention relates to supplemental bumper bar protector means and more particularly to improvements of this character for use in connection with vertical guards.

Vertical guards are primarily provided to prevent bumper bars from over or under-riding and generally have been placed in position to protect fenders from direct impact by a bumper bar of an automobile driven out of a row of parked automobiles. These vertical guards also protect parts of the automobile directly to the rear of them or directly in line with them and in certain instances their length has been increased to protect portions of the automobile at higher levels. These guards are usually of canoe-shape for light weight and rigidity and offer only a limited amount of protection in a lateral direction.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of supplemental means for increasing in a lateral direction the area protected by a vertical guard, more particularly for use in connection with the longer type of vertical guard and preferably wholly supported thereon, which may consist of one or more long bars or guard rails spanning and supported by two or more vertical guards, or of one or more short bars supported by a single vertical guard.

Another object of this invention is to provide means for adjustably connecting such supplemental bars or guard rails to vertical guards facilitating placing the vertical guards in the most convenient or most effective positions on the bumper bar within the limits of the lengths of the supplemental bars.

Another object of this invention consists in providing clamping means associated with the vertical guard which operates to press the sup plemental bars into frictional engagement with seats in the walls of the vertical guard.

Another object of this invention is to provide means whereby the supplemental bars may be positively limited against excessive longitudinal movement on the seats in the vertical guard.

Another object of this invention consists in improved fastening means consisting of a wedge cooperating with opposed faces on a pair of supplemental bars to spread and move the bars to force them into frictional contact with seats in the vertical guard, such faces on the bars may, if desired, be the bottoms of notches engaged by said wedge to limit or lock said bars against 10ngitudinal movement.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, in which-- Fig. 1 is a front view of a conventional form of horizontal bumper bar showing one form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a rear perspective of the upper end of a vertical guard and a pair of supplemental bars or rail guards showing detached and in detail the form of clamping means shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section through a vertical guard showing a second form of clamping means;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a vertical guard provided with two short protecting bars wholly supported by the vertical guard; and

Fig. '7 is a rear View of the vertical guard shown in Figs. 5 and 6 supported on a bumper bar.

For the purposes of disclosure, I have illustrated in Fig. 1 a bumper bar iii of conventional form which may be straight or curved horizontally and vertically in any conventional manner.

In Fig. 1 I have disclosed a pair of vertical guards H and 12 which may be canoe-shaped as disclosed with their flanges curved to fit the curved front face of the bumper bar ill on which they may be secured by any means such as for example a threaded and headed bolt It passing through an aperture in the bumper bar and threaded into a nut I5 anchored in a plate It welded to the side walls of the channel shaped vertical guard.

For the purpose of increasing the lateral area protected by the vertical guards and affording protection to the automobile at a higher level than that of the horizontal bumper bar, I provide a pair of supplemental bars or rail guards H and 18 which may be round in cross section as shown and for the purpose of supporting these bars on the vertical guards, I provide the flanges of the vertical guards with apertures to adjustably receive these bars. These bars may be secured to the vertical guard by means of a plate 26 which may be provided with flanges to seat in notches 2! in the rear faces of the bars to prevent rotation of bars curved to conform to the curvature of the bumper bar or ornamented on their front faces or to locate them horizontally or to lock them against horizontal movement or to limit such movement, the clamping plate being drawn forwardly toward the vertical guard to press the bars against the edges of the apertures in the vertical guard by means of a threaded bolt 22 threaded into a nut 23, anchored to a plate 24, welded to and bracing the flanges or side walls of the vertical guard as shown in Fig. 3. The clamping plate may be used with plain bars not provided with notches 2!, the frictional engagement therewith being sufiicient to prevent horizontal movement between the bars and the vertical guard and when used with plain bars the bars may be freely shifted and adjusted with respect to the vertical guards or the vertical guards may be mounted at desired spaced distances within the limits of the lengths of the bars.

In the modification disclosed in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, the vertical guard carries short protecting bars and 26 which as disclosed may be of difierent lengths and may be arranged symmetrically with respect to the vertical guard or if desired may be arranged non-symmetrically with respect to the vertical guard as in the case where an increase in lateral protection is desired or necessary on either side of the vertical guard. These bars may be secured on the vertical guard by the means disclosed in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 or by the means disclosed in Fig. 5 which comprises a channel shaped clamping plate 34) havin the end faces of its flanges 3i converging to operate as a Wedge against the bottoms of the notches 32 in the bars 25 and 26. For the purpose of moving the clamping plate 31? into wedging engagement with the bars .a threaded bolt 33 may be welded to the bottom face of the channel of the vertical guard on which may be hreaded a nut 36 as indicated in Fig. 5. In t s modifiaction also as in theflrst modification the notches 32 may be omitted to facilitate adjustment of the bars horizontally with respect to the Vertical guards, or the bars may be provided with three or more notches as indicated in Fig. 4, to provide for such adjustment and still provide for positive shouldered engagement for preventing any or too great lateral movement of the bars with respect to the vertical guards. It is obvious, of course, that if desired or when found necessary as in the case where the flanges of the vertical guard are of less depth than the diameters of the supplemental bars, the rear edges of the flanges may be notched to receive the bars.

While I have described my invention with eference to illustrating of but several embodiments thereof, which I consider sufficient for purposes of disclosure, it is to be understood that I reserve the right to all such modifications and reversals of parts as fall within the principles of the invention disclosed and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a vertical guard provided with rearwardly projecting flanges adapted to seat on the front face of a horizontal bumper bar, said reaiwardly projecting flanges being provided with seats at a higher level than the horizontal bar, horizontally extending supplemental bars seated in said seats and projecting laterally beyond said vertical guard, and means cooperating with said vertical guard and said supplemental bars for pressing said bars against the edges of said seats in said flanges, said supplemental bar being provided with notches in its rear face and said means for securing said bars in position engaging in said notches.

2. In combination with a vertical guard provided with rearwardly extending flanges adapted to seat on the front face of a horizontal bumper bar, said flanges being provided with apertures, a plurality of bars extending through said apertures, and clamping means engaging said bars operating to move said bars in opposite directions to frictionally engage the edges of said apertures in, said flanges.

3. In combination with a vertical guard provided with rearwardly extending flanges adapted to seat on the front face of a horizontal bumper bar, said flanges being provided with apertures, a plurality of bars extending through said apertures, a clamping plate engaging said bars, flanges on said plate, and means cooperating with said clamping plate and said vertical guard for pressing said bars against the edges of said apertures, said bars being provided with notches in which the flanges of said plate are seated.

4. In combination with a vertical guard provided with rearwardly extending flanges adapted to seat on the front face of a horizontal bumper bar, said flanges being provided with apertures, a plurality of horizontally extending supplemental bars located in said apertures, a wedge-shape clamping plate located between said bars, and means cooperating with vertical guard and clamping plate for moving said clamping plate relatively to said bars to cause said bars to frictionally engage the edges of said apertures.

5. In combination with a vertical guard provided with rearwardly extending flanges adapted to seat on the front face of a horizontal bumper bar, said flanges being provided with apertures, a plurality of horizontally extending supplemental bars. in said apenture-s, a wedge-shape clamping plate, and means cooperating with said Vertical guard and clamping plate for moving said clamping plate relatively to said bars to cause said bars to engage the edges of said apertures.

6. A bumper guard for vertical attachment to a bumper bar of a motor vehicle comprising a channel-shaped member, each side wall thereof having at least two apertures in alignment with a like number of apertures in the other side wall; a like number of horizontal members slidably extending through said aligned apertures and supported by said guard; and frictional clamping means within the channel for adjustably locking said horizontal members in a desired position, said means including a, clamp adapted to urge at least one of said horizontal members in one direction and the other of said horizontal members in another direction whereby the same are clamped against opposite walls of the apertures.

RAYMGND E. PADDOCK. 

